On This Day in History – September 23

Major Events

• 1122 – The Concordat of Worms is signed, ending the Investiture Controversy between the Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor.
• 1459 – Battle of Blore Heath, a key early battle of the Wars of the Roses, takes place in England.
• 1803 – British chemist John Dalton develops his atomic theory.
• 1846 – German astronomer Johann Galle discovers the planet Neptune.
• 1889 – Nintendo Koppai (later Nintendo Co., Ltd.) is founded in Kyoto, Japan.
• 1932 – The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is founded.
• 1952 – Richard Nixon gives his famous “Checkers speech” defending himself against allegations of financial impropriety.
• 1962 – The Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts opens in New York City.
• 1983 – Saint Kitts and Nevis gains independence from the United Kingdom.
• 1999 – NASA announces it has lost contact with the Mars Climate Orbiter due to a navigation error caused by unit conversion issues.
• 2019 – Climate activist Greta Thunberg delivers her “How dare you” speech at the United Nations Climate Action Summit.

Famous Birthdays

• 63 BCE – Augustus, Roman Emperor (d. 14 CE)
• 1215 – Kublai Khan, Mongol Emperor and founder of China’s Yuan dynasty (d. 1294)
• 1861 – Robert Bosch, German industrialist and inventor (d. 1942)
• 1880 – John Boyd Orr, Scottish physician, biologist, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate (d. 1971)
• 1905 – Mark Rothko, American painter (d. 1970)
• 1920 – Mickey Rooney, American actor (d. 2014)
• 1930 – Ray Charles, American singer, songwriter, and musician (d. 2004)
• 1935 – Bruce Springsteen, American rock musician
• 1943 – Julio Iglesias, Spanish singer-songwriter
• 1949 – Mary Kay Place, American actress
• 1959 – Jason Alexander, American actor and comedian
• 1961 – Chi McBride, American actor
• 1972 – Ani DiFranco, American singer-songwriter
• 1985 – Hasan Minhaj, American comedian and writer

Notable Deaths

• 867 – Michael III, Byzantine Emperor (b. 840)
• 1939 – Sigmund Freud, Austrian neurologist and founder of psychoanalysis (b. 1856)
• 1943 – Béla Bartók, Hungarian composer and pianist (b. 1881)
• 1968 – Padre Pio, Italian priest and saint (b. 1887)
• 1987 – Bob Fosse, American dancer, choreographer, and director (b. 1927)
• 2001 – Issa Samb, Senegalese artist and playwright (b. 1945)
• 2004 – Donald Justice, American poet (b. 1925)
• 2008 – Zoran Rankić, Serbian actor (b. 1935)
• 2015 – Yogi Berra, American baseball legend (b. 1925)
• 2019 – Jacques Chirac, President of France (b. 1932)

Holidays

• Saudi National Day (Saudi Arabia)
• Independence Day in Saint Kitts and Nevis
• Celebrate Bisexuality Day (International)
• Autumnal Equinox Day (Japan, when applicable)

Fun Facts

1. Neptune was the first planet discovered through mathematical prediction rather than direct observation.
2. Nintendo began as a playing card company before becoming a gaming giant.
3. NASA’s Mars Climate Orbiter failure in 1999 was caused by a metric-imperial unit mix-up, costing $125 million.
4. Greta Thunberg’s 2019 UN speech became one of the most shared climate activism moments online.